Wednesday, April 30, 2008 Bry. official ‘fails to account’ for P.6M
A CRIMINAL case for malversation of public funds was filed yesterday against a barangay official who allegedly pocketed over half a million in government funds in 2003.
Tanodbyan Merceditas Gutierrez approved the filing of the criminal case against Rhea Sable of Barangay Inayawan, Cebu City, two years after the Office of the Ombudsman-Visayas submitted its findings.
Sable, while working as barangay treasurer, allegedly pocketed a total of P624,560.54 in people’s money.
Gutierrez also approved the recommended bail of P40,000 by then Graft Investigation and Prosecution Officer Charina Navarro-Quijano. Quijano has since left the anti-graft office and now sits as a trial court judge in Surigao City.
COA complaint
Based on the local anti-graft office’s findings, the investigation that resulted in the filing of the criminal case stemmed from the complaint of the Commission on Audit (COA), through auditor Cipriano Jimeno.
Jimeno conducted an examination of the cash and accounts of Sable covering the periods of January 1, 2002 to Dec. 2003 and found a shortage of P493,455.54.
A demand letter was served on Sable but she allegedly failed to account for the funds. She was relieved from her past in Feb. 2004.
A second inspection was conducted on the cash and accounts entrusted to her from Dec. 2003 to Feb. 2004 and an additional shortage was uncovered. All in all, the total amount not accounted for reached P624,560.54.
Expenses
“Instead of making a restitution of the missing funds, respondent allegedly submitted a written explanation dated April 5, 2004, alleging among other things that part of the barangay’s collection were directly used in the operational expenses of the barangay,” the anti-graft office said.
However, the barangay captain of Inayawan denied this in a separate letter, dated April 27, 2005.
She likewise submitted a counter-affidavit and alleged that she never made direct collections for the barangay. She also said the previous treasurer didn’t turn over an
audited financial report.
The anti-graft office, however, ruled that she “has not substantiated her allegations to warrant the shifting of responsibility from her.”
“Respondent’s failure to account for the funds for which she was accountable by reason of her office gives rise to the presumption that malversation of funds has been committed and respondent is probably guilty thereof,” it added. (KNR)
